Whispers in the Dark
by Dawning Dusk
Summary: Darkness often enhances our emotions for better... or worse... The Devil Bringer is growing, a real-life nightmare for young Nero. In a last ditch effort, he calls Dante, determined to get help from his elder. But what can Dante do? DxN
1. Chapter 1

**Hello reader~! I hope you enjoy my REAL attempt at a yaoi~! I think this is heavily modeled after Pushka's style of writing (I love him so much. He's amazing. You should read his work.). I'm not sure how long this will be or how often I'll update, so keep an eye on it~ And if you think I'm taking far too long, feel free to send me a message or post again demanding another chapter! Just like Dante, I'm lazy, procrastinate, and it takes me a long time to get things done.**

**Well, I hope you join us for the ride!**

It was quiet and dark when he decided to call. After so many nightmares and so many sleepless nights, it was time.

Hesitantly, he lifted the phone from the receiver in the kitchen and stood there a moment. What if there was no answer? What if he was rejected? His stomach sank, but a voice in the back of his head assured him that the phone would be answered and he would be accepted.

His confidence was still there when the phone rang once. It waned on the second. On the third, he was clutching the phone to his ear, eyes wide. On the fourth, there was finally an answer.

". . . Devil May Cry."

"Dante," he sighed.

"Nero?" the voice on the other end asked.

(*)

The shop was quiet and empty as always. The pool table and desk were lined with empty pizza boxes and crusted beer cans. There was a figure moving around with a trash bag, picking up garbage.

Lights filtered in through the blinded windows, giving the room a light akin to a sepia tint. Dust caught the air, and floated, settling on one of the various, sparse furniture in the room.

The man coughed, shooing the dust particles from his face.

It was then that the door opened, taking away the tinted light. A young man stood there, feeling out of place, a drawstring bag slung over his shoulder.

"Nero," the man smiled. The boy in the door way stopped his scanning of the room and gave a soft smile.

"Dante," the youth dropped his bag and dashed forward. He caught the man in a bear-hug around his middle. Dante blinked, unsure of what to do, hesitantly wrapping his arms around the boy. The kid's hair was longer than he remembered. The kid was even wearing his hood. Something was wrong for sure.

"Nero. . ." he started but the boy shook his head, squeezing him tighter. The pain and heartbreak of the past year that had built up suddenly released and he was sobbing into Dante's shirt, blabbering.

The man blinked, startled and confused. He coaxed Nero to sit on the couch and hunted down a box of tissues and settled in to listen.

Nero told him about Kyrie leaving because she couldn't stay in the city that killed her brother. How he had to find work elsewhere because the Order collapsed. How he was living in some two-bit apartment, barely able to pay his bills or buy food. Lastly, he informed the man of his worst nightmare coming true.

Nero stripped off his jacket and hoodie, pulling his shirt off as well. Dante enjoyed the view a moment before turning his attention to Nero's arm. The hard, demonic scales were climbing up Nero's arm. Where it once ended at his elbow, it now extended up to his shoulder.

"It keeps growing," Nero said softly, tugging his black shirt back on. "I don't know what to do to stop it, Dante."

He nodded, ". . . I'm not really surprised. I thought something like this might happen."

". . . What should I do?"

"I don't know if there is anything you can do," Dante exhaled, running his hand through his white hair.

". . . Then, there's nothing? Just to accept it as it takes over my heart? Dante, you know I can't do that."

"I'm not asking you to do that. You aren't one to sit back and take things lying down."

"You're good at it," Nero snorted. Dante exhaled.

"Not the point, kid." Dante said, standing, "why don't you get your stuff? I'll make up a bed for you."

The youth nodded and stood up, fetching his bag by the doorway and shutting the door. The other man moved to pull the cushions off the couch and pulled out the hide-a-bed. The hinges creaked in irritation, but the mattress was still a clean white, albeit faded slightly.

"Unless you want to share my bed, that'll have to do," Dante informed Nero when he noticed the youth eyeing the mattress with distain.

"It'd be a real bed," Nero grumbled under his breath, but tossed his bag on the hide-a-bed.

"C'mon. Let's get you lunch. You're hungry, aren't you?"

The boy nodded and Dante ruffled the boy's hair. Nero huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. Hard to believe the kid was crying his eyes out and spilling his soul just a few minutes ago.

(*)

Nero convinced Dante that they should dine out and the older man drove them to a small diner—a favorite of his-called Freddie's. Nero watched in disgust and frustration as Dante shoved globs of strawberry sundae down his throat. He couldn't fathom how the man could do it. The mistake the youth made was voicing the question.

"Try it," Dante ordered, sliding the dish Nero's way and handing him the spoon. The youth looked at the unsavory glob in the bowl.

"Dante, I really don't—"

"Just try it. I bet you'll like it," he grinned. Nero rolled his eyes then looked at the mess in the bowl again.

". . . Do I really have to?" the boy nearly whined.

"Don't knock it till you try it."

Nero looked back at the dish once more, then dropped the spoon in the sugary mess and shoved it back to Dante. "I'll pass. I don't want a toothache."

"Live a little, kid," Dante smirked, resuming his eating.

"How do you _not_ have a toothache?" Nero groaned. Honestly, watching this was making him feel sick.

"This isn't the only thing I eat," Dante objected.

"Pizza and beer, right?" Nero grinned smugly.

"Just try the damn desert," Dante launched over the table, shoving a spoonful of strawberry sundae into Nero's mouth. The boy gagged and tipped his chair back so far he fell to the floor.

"How's it taste?" Dante grinned. It took a few moments, but Nero's hand soon appeared on the table and he pulled himself up. Coughing, he pulled the spoon from his mouth.

"You nearly choked me!"

"So you want seconds?" Dante grinned. Nero glared and threw the spoon at Dante. It bounced off his head and landed on the table.

"Fuck you, old man!"

"No thank you," Dante smirked, Nero blushed faintly.

"You perverted old man!" Nero growled, "Are there any thoughts in your head that aren't sick?"

Dante gave a laugh, "Please. That's what you like about me."

"Ha. Right. Of course it is," Nero laughed.

Dante smirked and started to speak when a young woman slid a pizza on the table. She smiled at Dante, then noticed Nero and winked at him. The younger man blushed as she bent over, her low cut shirt making him embarrassed.

"Dante, who's your friend?" she asked, smiling.

"Kid's name is Nero."

"Nero?" she leaned closer, "Is he single?"

"N—" Dante started, but was cutoff.

"Yes," said the boy suddenly. The server looked at Dante who shrugged.

"Enjoy your pizza," the girl smiled and skated away. Nero stood his chair and sat down, staring out the window.

". . . You need to eat, kid," Dante said.

"Not hungry," Nero said softly, not looking at the elder. Dante exhaled and pulled off a slice of pizza. The boy stared a bit.

"Eat. At least one slice," Dante demanded. Nero exhaled and grabbed Dante's wrist and took a bite of the slice of pizza in the older man's hand.

"There," Nero mumbled, eating. Dante snorted.

"Just take it."

"I'm not hungry," Nero said, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand and staring out the window again.

The elder exhaled and starting eating the slice he offered to Nero. The boy looked at him in disgust.

"You're going to eat after I took a bite out of it?"

"Of course. No sense in wasting it," Dante said through a mouthful of food.

"What if I wanted it?"

"You told me you weren't hungry," Dante smirked.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Nero huffed, pouting as he looked at the window. The elder grinned at his expression.

"If you want it, here," Dante offered the slice again, now missing three large bites. Nero looked at it in distaste, then hesitantly took it from him.

". . . You aren't sick or anything, are you?"

"Depends on your definition of sick," Dante grinned. The boy huffed and started eating. In no time at all, they had consumed the entire pizza.

(*)

When they arrived to Devil May Cry, Nero flopped down on the creaky hide-a-bed. Before the pair left, Dante had tired the mattress down, in hopes that it would flatten it out.

"You eat too much?" Dante laughed softly, shrugging from his coat and hanging it up.

"If I wanted any, I had to scarf it down," Nero grumbled, "You ate like it was your last meal."

"That's because I never know when those money grubbing leeches will come by," Dante said, scratching his chin.

"Money grubbing leeches?" Nero propped himself up on his elbows to look at the elder.

"Yeah, I've got a couple of hot headed demons I owe money. You know one of them, actually. She was disguised as Gloria. The other. . . well, she's cruel enough to be a demon," he shrugged.

". . . You owe them _money_?"

"I'm so far in debt I can't even breathe," he laughed, scratching his head. Nero stared.

"You. . . can't be serious."

"Dead serious. I swear, I'm still paying for when brother rose Temi-Ni-Gru, and that wasn't even my fault!"

Nero started to speak, but Dante shook his head, "Long story. Most of the city was destroyed."

". . . Destroyed? You have to pay for it?"

"I had to. There was no one else to shoulder the blame. Lady and I were the only two to leave the temple alive," noticing Nero's expression, he added, "You'll most likely meet Lady soon, if you stay long enough."

"Tch. I don't want to stay if I eat like that every night," Nero snorted. Dante laughed.

"I suppose I can afford to buy two pizzas next time," Dante surmised.

"Oh you suppose?" Nero glared, sitting up. Dante simply grinned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I should charge you rent. How long are you staying, anyway?"

"You're so tight on money that you're going to charge a friend for bunking with you a few nights? That's really sad, Dante," the youth said, shaking his head.

"Not a friend, a smartass punk who ate my pizza."

"Tch. Maybe I should go rent a hotel room."

"Maybe you should."

The two smirked at each other a moment, before Dante's faded to a smile.

"It's good to see you, kid."

"You too, old man."

**Okay, so To Die For wasn't my first attempt at a yaoi, this was. This one I started writing in my Speech and Debate class (Oh, the irony) ad my friend typed it up. She sent it back a few weeks ago, and I've been meaning to get it up. Yeah, the first chapter is long, I know. I already have chapter two ready, which will be just as long or longer. I have to finish typing it up. **

**I like this fic more than To Die For. Maybe because this one I'm taking at a slow pace and enjoying as I write it. The other one was rather hap-hazardly thrown together while here I have a plot.**

**Wow, tahts a long note. Well, thanks to my watchers for your patience, my reviews for reading, and thanks to anyone who wants to send any ideas for this my way~! I'll listen and see what I can do. I may start doing short little ficlets and posting them up here, so if you have ideas for those, tell me. My short little ficlets turn out better than my stories with a full plot line~**

**Thanks again!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I wanted to get his up fast. I'm supposed to be in bed sick, but I'm feeling better now. Just a bit. Anyway, here's the next installment. I'll get up chapter three… when I write it ^-^;;;**

_**SirenaLoreley**_

**You got the first review. Yayz~!**

***laughs* It will. I didn't mention much of his problems here, but I'll start having them show more often. I'm just getting up a bit of the plot for people so they get a better feel for what's happening.**

**This chapter was just little awkward to write in class. I'm glad my handwriting is like…. Size 10 or 12. ^-^;;;**

The sun shining through the windows woke Nero the next day. He groaned and rolled over, clutching the pillow tight. The first sound of the day he heard was laughing, and the sound of a flashlight clicking off.

"Time to get up, kid."

Nero groaned and sat up, rubbing his eyes. The shop was still dark and he could make out the shape of Dante standing over his bed.

"What do you want, old man?"

"For you to get up. I think I know why your arm is growing. Get dressed. We're going out, kid."

Nero simply rubbed his eyes, "Nnngh. . . What time is it?"

"Early," Dante replied, "Get up."

"No. . . let me sleep," Nero responded. Dante grinned.

(*)

About an hour later, Dante and Nero were standing in the courtyard of an abandoned castle. Nero was shivering, huddled in his coat. His hood was up, keeping a misting rain from getting his already drenched hair even wetter.

"What's the matter, kid? Afraid of a little water?" Dante smirked, Nero glared.

After the youth had gone back to sleep, Dante attempted to wake him. The elder had taken Nero into the bathroom and sat him down in the tub and turned on the cold water.

Needless to say, Nero was less than pleased.

"Fuck you, old man," Nero growled. Dante laughed.

"Anytime," Dante grinned, Nero blushed.

"Perv. Can't you think of anything else but—"

Dante drew his gun, aiming it at Nero. The youth blanched and drew his gun as well.

"What are you doing, old man?"

A smirk crossed Dante face and then there was a gunshot.

Nero's body dropped instinctively and he waited for the pain. But there was none, just a groan behind him and a body thudding.

"This is no time to be napping. Get up, kid," Dante ordered. The youth looked up at his elder, then behind him at the pile of goo that had once been a demon.

"Are you insane?" Nero snapped, crawling to his feet. He had really thought. . . it looked like Dante was going to shoot him.

Dante shrugged to the question, resting one of his guns on his shoulder. "Some might call it that, I say 'unorthodox.'"

The youth glared, the grip on his gun making Dante laugh.

"Easy, kid. I'm just testing out my theory," he grinned.

"Your theory?"

"That your arm is growing because you're using the Devil Bringer too often while your body is adjusting to it. Your body is fight for control against your demon half. It's just what happens. I went through it too."

Nero looked at his demonic arm as the elder spoke. His body, his human side was fighting for control against his demonic side? It sounded very plausible.

"So, what do we do?"

"We teach you to not rely on your arm all the time. You have demonic powers; however, you don't have to use your Devil Bringer. I'm sure you know that. You can put your demonic powers into your blade or bullets." When Nero gave a nod, Dante continued, "That only uses a small portion of your powers and shouldn't agitate your arm too much."

The youth nodded, rubbing his arm absently. Dante nodded in approval.

"Let's get to work," the elder grinned.

(*)

The training went well at first. Nero only relied on Red Queen and Blue Rose for combat against the minor demons Dante summoned. However, as the demons grew stronger, the temptation to use his Devil Bringer grew as well.

The current demon opposing Nero had knocked away both this sword and gun, leaving the boy without a weapon. The demon charged, scythe at the ready. Panicked, the boy Triggered, drawing out Yamato from his arm. The demonic blade shone in the sun, shimmering in excitement.

As Nero and the demon both charged, a gunshot rang out. The demon paused, exploding into goo. The boy looked revolted, Yamato fading into his arm again.

"Dante?" he asked, turning to the elder as he left his Devil state.

The elder man was rummaging through his jacket, peering into pockets sewn on the inside of the leather, soon producing a necklace, a blood-red gem dripping from a chain. Nero stared at it in awe as Dante approached.

"This isn't going as well as I had hoped. This will seal your demonic side so you can learn not to rely on it," he explained, dropping it around the kid's neck. Immediately, the kid felt the awesome power fade, and it was replaced with something else. A heaviness of sorts, the same feeling he had when his arm grew, when he first met Dante.

"You'll feel a little strange at first. Give it a few moments."

The boy waited patiently for the sensation to pass and soon became adjusted to the new feeling. When he was ready, Nero gave Dante a nod. The youth went and fetched his weapons while Dante summoned another demon.

The boy turned just as the demon appeared clutching a scythe. It was shrouded in a deep blue cloak with the hood up. It had skeletal face, pale arms and legs hanging out as it stumbled forward. Nero slung Red Queen onto the sling on his back, holding Blue Rose in his human hand. The boy watched as the demon stumbled forward.

He slid under the weapon, bringing Rose up in the demon's face and pulled the trigger. The demon stumbled back in pain, and Nero ducked under the blade swinging over his head. Blue Rose found her holster and Red Queen was in his hand. He cranked the handle, revving the weapon and swung the blade up in a High Roller, launching the demon. In the air, he sheathed Red Queen and drew Blue Rose, emptying it into the demon's body again. Red Queen was drawn out when Blue Rose was away. The blade slammed into the demon and he was flattened into the ground. It gave a groan and exploded into dust.

"Not a problem," the boy grinned, "What's next?"

Dante gave a laugh, "Punk. Fine. How about Archanie?"

The demon appeared suddenly, clicking and hissing. Nero turned, spotting it crawling along the walls. It was a demonic Minotaur, the skin bleached white. The upper body was feminine and hairless; a set of eight eyes stretching over the head, pincers from the jaw and arms from a praying mantis. The lower half was the body of a spider, pink patterns over it.

Nero blinked, and then turned to smother Dante in a glare, who grinned.

"Watch out. It spews webs," the elder warned.

Nero drew his gun, watching the creature as it crawled over the walls. It hissed at the hunters and started making a web. Nero took the time to glare at Dante.

"You've got to be kidding! Dante, this thing—"

Suddenly a claw met Nero's side and sent his body flying. The demon hissed at Dante, then went after Nero.

(*)

The old doors of the Devil May Cry were kicked open. Dante walked in supporting Nero, whose body sagged against the elder's. Red Queen was strapped to Dante's back, and Blue Rose was stuck in the band of Dante's pants—safety on—just in case.

Nero was limping, his head drooping. Dante carefully set Nero on the couch, who groaned.

"I think that well," Dante said, stripping the weapons off. Nero weakly gave Dante a one fingered salute. The elder hunter laughed, setting the guns on his desk, the swords landing on it.

"Fuck you, old man," Nero grumbled. Dante laughed.

"You know, kid, I think your subconscious is trying to tell you something," he grinned. Despite his pain and tiredness, Nero blushed.

"There is something wrong with you," the kid said, "You know that?"

Dante simply laughed, "Better clean up. You're a mess. Don't want to heal with an infection."

". . . Can that happen?" Nero asked as he slowly shifted to his feet, stripping off his coats.

"It is possible," Dante said, leaning against his desk, "Just clean up."

Nero gave a soft groan and peeled off his shirt, wet and clinging to his skin with blood. He made a face in disgust. "Wash this for me."

"You should just trash it," Dante said, looking at the Devil Bringer. The demonic scales pushed against the human skin, turning it red and agitated. The red skin looked angry, blood leaking out from where the scales met flesh. The boy winced as his arm started to glow and pulled off the necklace Dante had given him.

"But I like that shirt," Nero objected, then chucked it at Dante who caught it with his face.

Dante pulled it away, making a face, "I'll just throw it away for you."

Nero grumbled, going back into the bathroom while Dante sat at his desk. He threw his feet up on the desk, tossing the bloodied shirt on the abused furniture. He heard the water turn on, then the kid yelp.

"Hot water doesn't work!" Dante yelled, "Forgot to tell ya!"

There was a stream of profanities shot back that caused the elder hunter to laugh.

With a thud, Dante's boots met the floor and he went into the kitchen. He looked around a moment, then snapped a light on. A dingy yellow filled the room, revealing the small table cluttered with pizza boxes and crushed beer cans, the counters filled with the same garbage, and the fridge.

"Patty needs to come by soon," he muttered, digging through the fridge. He pulled out a beer can, popped it open and began drinking it as he went back to his desk.

Once more his boots met with the desk top and he tipped his chair back, taking another drink. His eyes met the jukebox in the corner, then wandered back to his desk.

"Need something… something heavy. . . ." Dante hummed as he scanned his desk. The phone, Ebony and Ivory, Blue Rose, his amulet, and the cue had been chipped the last time Dante used it to turn on the jukebox greeted him.

Dante slammed a heel into the desk and caught the cue ball as it rose to greet the ceiling. With a quick flick of the wrist, it left his hand. The white orb connected with the machine and it sputtered to life. Soon, vocals sputtered to life, joined by a screaming guitar a pounding bass, and voices chanting the chorus in a mantra.

"_All alone he turns to stone, while hold his breath half to death. Terrified of what's inside, to, save his life, he crawls like a worm. Crawls like a worm from a bird! Crawls like a worm! Crawls like a worm from a bird!"_

Dante grumbled at the sounds, but was out of ammo to change the station. He took another drink from his beer and tipped his chair back again.

The elder hunter sat there, simply listening to the sounds of the shop. Nero was still in the shower, trying to wash off the goo and blood he'd been coated in. The thought made Dante snicker.

However, less innocent thoughts came to his mind and he dropped his feet to the floor when he felt how tight his pants really were. Dante wasn't used to daydreaming—at least not about the younger hunter—but gave into in anyway. Why try and fight it?

_Nero was watching Dante with those innocent blue eyes of his. He was in the shower, this pale skin flushed from the heat of the water. He was pleading with Dante, begging._

"_Fuck me, Dante," the young hunter pleaded. And the elder was all too eager to comply._

The hunter was so lost in his fantasy that he didn't hear the man he was fantasizing about leave the bathroom.

(*)

Nero abandoned the shower when he was sufficiently clean. He didn't trust any of Dante's towels, so he let himself drip-drip on the hunter's bathmat. Dante deserved to have it get soaked, Nero surmised.

He dressed after awhile, running his hands through his hair. Nero was glad he'd brought his bag in the bathroom with him, so he had clean, non-demon-blood-coated clothes. This time, he didn't grab a shirt. He didn't want to get it soaked from his hair and his arm was bothering him. Instead, he pulled on a spare red hoodie glad that he had more than one. Nero zipped it up and snuggled into the hood, sighing happily with warmth.

That shower was freezing.

The youth left the bathroom, rubbing his arms.

"Hey, Dante…" he started, then noticed the elder hunter daydreaming. Nero sighed, looking over to the jukebox.

"_I am a question to the world, not an answer to be heard, or a moment, that's held in your arms. And what, do you think they'd ever say? I won't listen anyway. You don't know me, and I'll never be what you want me to be…"_

The young hunter sighed softly, watching as Dante, still in his stupor, took a drink of his beer, his eyes still glazed over. Nero wondered how the man didn't drown himself, then a grin took his face. Why not mess with Dante a bit?

Despite the pang that shot up his demonic arm, Nero pulled himself up to sit on Dante's desk. He couldn't help but pout when Dante didn't notice. Grumbling, Nero lifted Blue Rose into his hands and started to pull her apart to clean out the demon goo that he was sure would gum up her works later.

Soon, he had the pieces of his beloved gun surrounding him and he hopped off the desk about to hunt down a rag when he spotted his shirt hanging from the edge of the trash can. With a sigh, he grabbed the torn clothing and started to shred it into strips, saving the dry cloth to clean the gun and tossing aside what was already dirtied.

With that task done, he settled himself on top of Dante's desk again, holding his legs under him as he started picking up Blue Rose's parts and began to clean them. The youth had done it so often that it wasn't long before Blue Rose gleamed back at him as if smiling. Nero returned the smile, happy. Just taking her apart and putting her together again had calmed him greatly and distracted him from the pain shooting through his Devil Bringer.

He reloaded his weapon, admiring the gleam it offered him in the dim light off the office. It had further clouded up since Dante had Nero's training session that morning, and the dingy lights of the office did little good to help him see. Nero was glad it was cloudy though, and that the lights weren't too bright. He hadn't shared with Dante, but bright lights were starting to greatly upset his eyes.

The young demon hunter exhaled, smiling a bit as his gun clicked, cocked, loaded, and ready for action that wouldn't come for some time. Or maybe…

A grin took Nero's face as he spun to face Dante without moving from the desk. He leveled Blue Rose with Dante's forehead—the elder didn't even bat an eye—and pulled the trigger.

After the bang, it was silent a moment, the jukebox also seeming to hold its breath as it silenced. The elder hunter's eyes glazed over further before his body toppled back, the chair clattering loudly as it hit the floor. The young hunter hummed a bit, pleased with himself. He doubted he'd get another chance to have the upper-hand on his new roommate.

The way Nero figured it, this was payback for choking him with the desert the day before. No, it wouldn't really hurt the elder slayer, and the boy knew it wouldn't kill him. A grin took his face at the thought of how bad a headache Dante would have when he woke later.

And it seemed that "while later" was now. Dante's hand slammed down on the desk, narrowly missing Nero's legs as he pulled himself off the ground. For a moment, the elder hunter's eyes were a demonic red, making the youth blanch. When the eyes mellow, Dante snorted before spitting out the bullet from blue Rose and the offending metal clattered somewhere on the messy ground.

"Dammnit, kid," he grumbled, rubbing his still healing forehead, "That hurt. What the hell was that for?"

Nero gave a shrug, "Target practice or payback. Take your pick."

(*)

Dante acted as though he were upset with the young male, but was rather relieved. Nero shot him just as the dream started to get too intense and the blood-loss forced his boy to calm. But that cute look on Nero's face made him nearly loose composure.

"Payback?" the elder snorted as he stood his chair and sank into it, "Payback for what? I took you in, remember?"

"You nearly choked me with a a spoon!"

"Oh, yeah," Dante said, scratching his chin, "But it tasted good, right?"

The youth pouted, crossing his arms over his chest, making Dante's heart throb, "It fucking hurt! It was lodged in my throat."

Dante snorted, a different image coming to mind and felt himself stir again, despite his blood working overtime.

"Fine, fine, I choked you. Doesn't mean you can shoot me," Dante pointed out.

"Yes it does! You nearly killed me!"

"And you did kill me," the elder growled, realizing that his eyes must have Triggered when Nero blanched again. With a sigh, Dante pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Fighting urges and trying to mask them behind anger wasn't one of his strong points, "Listen, punk. I'm taking you in, helping you with your problems—I even offered you my bed for Christ's sake!—don't pay me back by lodging a bullet in my brain.

Nero drew himself up, his arms folded over his chest, and his back so straight it was beginning to arch, "Fine, old man. Then lessen up on these training lessons."

Dante snorted, "No can do, kid. I'm trying to help you get better. You haven't fought me yet, without the use of that glow stick of your's."

The boy glared, "You saying that I can't take you on with that special trinket of your's?"

"Damn straight," the elder demon said, "Without that arm, you wouldn't've been able to take me back in Fortuna."

Nero glared, "Please."

The elder demon gave a snort again, "That first fight was a test. I _let_ you get me with Rebellion (Nero rolled his eyes here in disbelief). That second fight you did give me a workout, but you were Triggered, remember?"

"So what?"

"When you rely on demonic strength, you are far stronger. That first fight, that side of you hadn't awakened yet. That second time you could tap into that power only a demon posses."

"Don't lecture me old man."

"Hey, I gotta lecture you if I want you to listen, kid," Dante said, "And even then you don't listen!"

"You're going senile in your old age, Dante! All you do is ramble in these so called lectures," The youth snorted. The elder scowled.

"You punk."

"You ass."

The two sat there a moment glaring at each other.

"Brat" Dante finally said, "How're you feeling?"

"Sore," Nero grumbled, rubbing his arm. Dante frowned.

"I'll get us some food, then we'll hit the hay."

**My bejeezmus, this is longer than I thought. I hope you enjoy. The chapters after this may be shorter or the same length. We'll see. **

**Thanks for reading~!**

**BitbyBoth pointed out my spelling errors. I am a grammar Nazi and I missed them, so I updated this one and the last one to be right.**

**I NEEDZ PROPER GRAMMERZ**


	3. Chapter 3

**I should be laying down. I should be relaxing.**

**But…. The urge to write… Is strong in this one…. :3**

_**Bitbyboth**_

**Yeah, I saw that after I posted it. *frowns* I went back and fixed it though. Here were also a few typos in the first chapter that I fixed as well. My friend did type up the first chapter and half the second. So… All those errors were me typing too fast and not looking up ^-^;;;**

**Its scary because To Die For was started after this one, just as a little silly thing I wanted to do *laughs* Just to get back into the swing of things. I made young Dante kinda whiny and old Nero just a little… Off. Then it switched in the end. But, I'll get them right here!**

**I love the interaction. My friends suggested most of it. Like the scene in Freddie's, and the Archanie with Nero. I've got to start talking to them again and planning stuff out, otherwise what I have happen turns out being overly dramatic and depressing. I don't like emo Nero. He makes me want to punch him 3**

_**SirenaLoreley**_

**I'm glad your liking it~! I like writing long chapters, but I don't have the patience to do it. I've gotta plot out how long they'll be. A least 3000 words with my little opening notes will suffice, I think. :3**

**Lol I hope his daydream turned out good. I think it's a little dry, but it's my first time writing this and my imagination will have a bit more free reign. I was worried the power was going to go out while I was typing—it was hailing here. We all know Dante. It's like putting food in front of a dog and telling it not to eat. It'll be patient only for so long…. However, I plan on getting in some fan service before Dante looses it and decides to fuck Nero through a wall…. If I ever get the courage to type that…. ^-^;;;**

**Ack. Long notes again! Why are my notes so long? Ah, well. I like responding to what you guys say. :3 I get the feeling you like knowing I read what you write too. Anyway, here we go again~! BTW, I have my Dante action figure posed in the same way as when he was talking to Nero about his training methods, and Nero is standing after he got shot, holding onto his shirt, going WTF.**

**Just in case you cared.**

On the third of day of Nero staying with Dante dawned. The boy stirred where he slept on the hide-a-bed. Today, the sun was up, glaring in through the windows.

The boy hissed, a sound foreign to his throat and pulled the pillow over his head, burying his face to keep the harsh light from attacking his eyes. Why did the sun have to be so bright? Why did it have to wake him up so early?

Nero was beginning to consider investing in sunglasses as he felt alongside the bed for his hoodie. When he found it, he pulled it on quickly and zipped it up, pulling the hoodie down low over his eyes so he could block out a bit more of the light as he sat up. The yellow rays assaulted his eyes all the same, making him growl lowly. He couldn't win, could he? Nero shifted to sit cross legged and closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the apartment.

The most noticeable was the hide-a-bed squeaking, which made him wonder how old it really was—or more importantly—how safe. The next sound was the ceiling fan, spinning idly above him. He never did find the switch to turn it off, but it didn't matter—it wasn't going fast enough to cool the room anyway. Nero had remembered the "leeches" Dante had talked about and thought of shutting things off to save the hunter some money. But, the switch had been stubborn and hid from him.

The silence radiated off the jukebox, which Nero found odd. Usually silence was just silence. He couldn't tell where exactly where it was coming from, but that didn't worry him too much. It just meant that the other noises he heard weren't so loud that they could drown out everything else.

In the background, the fridge hummed, a soft lulling sound that nearly convinced the young hunter to lay back down and go back to sleep. It was comforting to hear—a single familiar sound in the strange place.

Nero lifted himself up off the mattress and stretched. The springs of the bed seemed to be doing the same, almost sighing with the absence of weight. Bare feet padded as Nero wandered back into the kitchen and grimaced at the mess.

"How can one man be such a slob?" Nero balked at the mess. So, he was right when he asked if Dante lived on beer and pizza.

The youth had gone in there to see if he could make breakfast, but retreated instead, intent on finding a way to clean up the kitchen before he even dared to try and cook up something.

(*)

Dante slept through Nero's morning stress, and the clattering as things fell from some forgotten closet the boy searched through. The swearing the boy shouted didn't even reach his ears as the older hunter rolled over, rather enjoying his dream.

Usually, his dreams made him never want to sleep again, or he relived the mission of the day. But this time it was different.

_Dante inhaled softly, smiling a bit. There was no turmoil in the air and it was silent, peaceful. Ah, but where was he now?_

_He realized the area was where his childhood home was and he felt his breath hitch._

_He was lying in the grass of the yard, staring up at the sky. Slowly, he tilted his head back. Again, his breath caught when he recognized the two story house still standing. But…. Something was different about it now._

_The hunter climbed to his feet, exhaling in relief when he realized that he wasn't as close to the ground as he thought he'd be. That was good. He wouldn't be reliving the death of his mother and twin tonight._

_With a smile, he strode forward with confidence and pushed open the front door._

(*)

Nero was rather surprised to actually find cleaning supplies in the office. Sure, they looked a little beat up and were tucked far away, but it was better than nothing. He retreated with his new weapons from the closet when something caught his eye. It looked like a sword, forgotten on the floor.

He pulled out what he needed before hesitantly grabbing the weapon.

"_You are not Master."_ A voice said, making Nero yelp and drop the weapon. Blue lighting crackled over it before standing in place of the sword was a man, not much older than Nero.

His hair was black and slicked back, which a few clumps hanging in the way of his face. His skin was littered with black tattoos that looked like boxes and lines all connected. He wore shorts that seemed to have once been pants, judging by that tattered ends. Fierce red eyes watched Nero, pointed elf-like ears quivering ever so slightly, and a thin demonic tail wrapped around the newcomers leg, small horns becoming visible as his head titled.

"Where is Master Dante? Did he leave me again?" he caught side of Nero's arm and blinked, "… Are you another one he brought it? But… No, you smell human."

The boy scratched his head, confused.

"…" Nero watched the boy's inner struggle, confused. Who was this? He'd just come out of a sword.

"Hey," Nero said, finally getting the other's attention, "Who are you?"

The boy stood taller, puffing out his chest, "I am called Alastor."

(*)

Dante's dream had taken a turn for the worse as he slept undisturbed upstairs.

_From all sides, he was being attacked. But who was it? Where were they coming from? Why weren't they stopping?_

_It the dream, Dante had no weapons, and was soon running for his life through the house .He turned to quick and slammed his shoulder into a wall, then slid into his old room. The one he'd shared with his twin._

_Once inside, he kicked the door closed and took a moment to regain his bearings. The room was empty. There was nothing here. No furniture, only a discarded toy in the corner._

_The hunter watched it curiously before crawling over to it._

_It was a doll, seeming far too small in his large hands. Carefully, he rolled it over, laying it face up to meet him and recoiled from it._

_It was Nero, but not Nero. Half was the kid he knew, but the other…_

_The other was a demon enclosed in blue and red scales._

"… _No…"_

"DANTE!"

The very real voice jerked the hunter awake and his eyes snapped open, his body shooting to sit up quickly, pulling Ebony and Ivory out from under his pillow.

"Dante! Get up and help me!"

'_Nero. Its only Nero,'_ the hunter sighed, sliding out of bed. He set his guns aside and grabbed his leather pants—no point in startling the kid by showing up in only his boxers. Even if the blush he'd receive in response would be well worth it.

The hunter tucked Ebony and Ivory in the waist of his pants and headed for his door, sliding out quietly, but stopped on the balcony overlooking the shop.

He was trying, but failing at holding back his laugher.

Alastor was sitting on Nero's back, firmly keeping the thrashing teen pinned to the ground. He could have sworn Nero was frothing at the mouth as he screamed at both Dante and Alastor, cursing them to the high heavens. Dante was rather upset that he couldn't see Nero's face—it looked like his hood had fallen over his face when Alastor got him on the ground.

"Get off of me! Dante!" Nero shouted, annoyed and frustrated that he had to call the older hunter for help. This kid didn't look any bigger than Nero. He should not be this heavy.

"Who are you? What do you want with Master Dante?" Alastor asked, grabbing the handful of cloth covering Nero's head and pulled it up, revealing the kid's face. Nero roared and tried to bite at the demon's hand, his canines sharpening to fangs, his eyes a deep dark red. Alastor responded to Nero with a screech, wings ripping from his back and flaring out. His skin started to turn purple, his body morphing into a dragon-like shape.

"Alastor!" Dante barked, about to leap over the stairs. The shifting demon stopped and looked up. His body shifted back to resemble a human's.

"Master Dante~!" he smiled and jumped up from Nero's back, heading for the elder slayer. Nero pulled up his hood just as Alastor's form shifted to a sword again and Dante blinked.

"Oh, not again…." He grumbled as the sword made a bee-line for him.

(*)

"For God's sakes, Alastor, you can't do that," Dante grumbled, rubbing his wounded chest.

The trio were sitting around Dante's desk, all grumbling in their own way. Nero had his arms folded over his chest, his hood pulled low. He made no sounds, but every now and then, he seemed to hiss. Alastor was perched on Dante's desk, scrubbing Dante's blood from his skin.

"I didn't know who he was," Alastor said, "And just _picked me up_. Master…"

"I don't want to hear it," Dante grumbled, feeling the blade-wound on his chest, watching it heal. Thankfully, Alastor hadn't hit his heart this time. However, that didn't stop the demon-sword from shocking the hunter in excitement. It did give Dante's heart a jump-start, but now he could taste smoke whenever he said something.

"All right, Alastor, this is Nero. He's a friend of mine. He'll be staying here a while," Dante said, giving a less than formal introduction as he pushed himself up. He might as well introduce Nero to the rest of the gang.

Alastor turned to the young hunter, who was still hissing, and watched him with big eyes.

"Any friend of Master Dante's is a friend of mine!" Alastor proclaimed, holding his hand out to Nero. The young demon hunter looked up at it then glared at the boy on the desk.

"… That wasn't a fair fight."

The demon-sword blinked, "…? Oh. That. I held onto the floor. I'm glad I did. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to hold you."

Nero blinked at the demon, who was still giving him a friendly smile.

"… Dante!" Nero called, moving away from the elder's desk.

He could hear Dante in that back room he'd found the cleaning supplies in, his voice calling back a slightly annoyed: "What?"

"I want a sparring partner. Not just random demons," Nero said, moving to find Dante, Alastor now on his heels.

There was a crash and a clattering bang and Nero found Dante backing from the closet, rubbing his head as old weapons clattered around their feet. Nero picked out a triple nunchuku, a purple guitar with sharp points, duel broadswords one red and one blue, a sword that was similar to Alastor but the design wasn't as complex and looked bulky, Three different sets of gauntlets (one red, one icy blue, and one that kept changing colors), a metal disk that seemed folded up, a skull staring back at the trio, what appeared to be a suitcase, a thick broadsword, and what seemed to be a katana, far less majestic than Yamato.

"Dante….?"

"The weapons I've gained," Dante shrugged. He picked up the two swords and tucked them away, then started rattling off the weapons names as he picked them up.

"This is Nevan" Dante said, picking up the guitar, he rapped his against it and it chattered, "Yes, you can come out."

He set the guitar down as it started to shift into a woman, her appearance making Nero blush. She had long red hair, covering her topless-ness, and wore what looked like a skirt of darkness. Her skin was a hint of grey; her red eyes giving Nero a wink that made him scratch the side of his nose as his cheeks flushed.

Dante's hands found the broadswords next and Nero saw the heads engraved on the hilts. He sniffed and Dante clanged the heads together.

"What is it?" The blue asked.

"We've been quiet, like you ordered," the red responded.

Dante flashed Nero a grin, the boy blinking dumbly at the weapons, "These are Agni and Rudra. If you ever want someone to talk to, find them. They won't shut up."

The hunter leaned the swords against the wall as he looked through his remaining pile, while the two huffed. Nevan and Alastor had moved to stand behind Nero, watching Dante curiously. Nero was very uncomfortable to have the guitar-woman pressed so close behind him—he could feel her breath on his neck and it sent chills down his spine—but bit his tongue, more focused on the other hunter.

"These are Ifrit, Beowulf, and Gilgamesh," Dante said, pointing to the red, blue, and multicolored gauntlets in order, "They—heh—still haven't started talking to me yet. Ifrit does sometimes, but he usually scolds me."

Dante moved those aside, grabbing the nunchaku next, "This is Cerberus. Oi, Cerberus, we're inside. Try and be smaller this time, alright? I can't afford to fix the roof again."

Nero looked at the older hunter like he was crazy, but he heard the faint growl in response to Dante's words. The weapon was set on the ground and started to morph, much like Nevan and Alastor had, and standing in its place was a black Great Dane sporting three heads. It stood still a moment, proud… then leapt on Dante, licking the older hunter's face.

Nero cracked a smile at the sight as Dante pushed the dog aside, but the animal refused to leave Dante's side and laid beside the hunter, placing a heavy paw and a head on the demon's leg.

Dante lazily scratched Cerberus's ear, rocking back on his heels and looked at what was left.

"The box is Pandora—I wouldn't open her up. She's very…_testy_. The skull thing is Lucifer. Lots of fun to use. He doesn't talk much though. Not unless you're using him in combat," Dante said as Cerberus butted his hand, wanting more attention, "And that's the gang. I've gathered them over the years. I figured that since you met Alastor, you should meet the rest of them. The ones that _like_ me anyway."

The hunter snapped his fingers, "Wait, there's one more. He causes quite a bit of mischief when I'm not keeping an eye on him."

The young hunter blinked and Dante nodded his head. Nevan and Alastor stepped away from Nero's back and e felt a hand land on his shoulder. The boy jumped and turned, facing a replica of Dante, however, his skin was dark grey and his hair was black, his eyes inverted from Dante's.

"Doppleganger. Sometimes, he's really more trouble than he's worth," Dante said as he got up, pushing Cerberus away. Doppleganger shrugged, grinning.

"How about we go get some breakfast?" Dante asked cheerfully," Then we'll talk about a sparring partner for you."

Nero blinked watching Dante walk away and Doppleganger ghosted after him, soon falling into the hunter's shadow. He turned to catch Nevan transform into a flurry of bats which reformed the guitar. Cerberus gave a soft whine and his body shrank to his respectful weapon. Nero looked to Alastor, expecting the same, but the demon-boy simply grabbed the abandoned cleaning supplies and went into the kitchen.

Well. This would take some getting used to.

**Two hours to type that out~ It was hard getting all Dante's weapons squared away, but I think they should be able to shift between forms when Dante allows them**

**Also, I LOVE Doppleganger. He needs more attention. Shhhhhh. He's stalking Dante. Perhaps Dopple will will act on Dante's desires or him? Teehee~**

**Till next time~!**

**Also, feel free to throw out suggestions or comments. Let me know if it was confusing with Alastor and Nero. I was having a hard time keeping the right when I was writing this *laughs***

**Thanks for reading~**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm starting this chapter while sitting inside my photography class. It's a rainy day. I can do that 3**

_**SirenaLoreley**_

***laughs* I kinda hoped someone would like it. I figured that since I had Alastor, I should give the other's some attention. Doppleganger is just trouble maker like that—I think I even have an idea of what he'll do to the kid :3**

***laughs* That's how I kept finding him when I looked up pictures! It was rather annoying. In the end, I took an image from a video on Youtube (The Devil may Cry cast performing the Lucky Star opening) with a twist of my own. I thought it sounded good. :3 A bit of him is influenced by an OC I found on DeviantArt named Skye. He's pretty.**

**Well, Lets see if I can keep part of this mellow while I'm in class. The teacher can look at my screen while I'm typing. Awkward.**

The pair once again found themselves seated in Freddie's diner. Once again, Dante had a strawberry sundae in front of him, shoveling globs down his throat. This time, Nero said nothing and remained quiet, patiently sipping on a mug of coffee as he watched the elder.

"So, kid, tell me," Dante started without missing a beat as he ate, "What was with that reaction to Alastor?"

Nero blinked, drawing a blank, the vaguely remembered wanting to rip off the demonic-sword's head for exposing his eyes to the light. But why worry Dante with that?

The boy shrugged and lied easily, "I was half asleep."

"Really," Dante said, actually stopping to cast Nero a suspicious glance, setting his spoon down, "… You nearly Triggered."

"Did I?" Nero hummed, drinking from the mug again. The hunter eyed him suspiciously. The younger slayer still had his hood up, covering much of his face in shadows.

"There's something you aren't telling me," Dante said, "I'm not stupid. And as much as you may think otherwise, I do worry about you and I am trying to help. If you can't tell me what's going on, I can't find a solution."

Nero snorted into his mug, bringing it up to further hide his face, "Whatever, old man. I'm fine. My arm's bothering me a little. That's all."

"You haven't taken off your hood since this morning."

"I'm cold," Nero shrugged, "Just leave it alone. I'm fine, Dante."

Said man's eyes narrowed slightly, but his attention slowly turning back to his sugary breakfast in front of him. He didn't believe Nero, and it was obvious by the glances he kept throwing his partner, nearly making Nero squirm under that blue gaze.

_Nearly._

The boy returned Dante's stare with one of his own, watching over the rim of his mug.

"If you keep staring," Dante started, "people will get the wrong idea."

The young slayer snorted, "Like you're one to talk."

"Touché," the elder murmured, dropping his spoon in his now empty parfait dish, "Let's get going. We have more training to do."

"I thought we were going to talk about a training partner for me," Nero said as he draining the last bits of coffee in his mug and set it down on the table. Dante hummed, rummaging through his coat for money before dropping a few bills on the table.

"Because of Alastor, right?"

Nero pouted, folding his arms over his chest, making Dante assume he was right, even when the boy said, "No. I'm just tired of fighting the small fry you give me."

The hunter gave a grin, "Really? That Archane did beat you pretty bad yesterday. Maybe this is because you lost?"

"That bug jumped me!" Nero objected, shoving his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, "If I had seen it—"

"If I hadn't been there," Dante started as they headed for the door, "It would have poisoned you and most likely left you for food for its munchkins."

Nero pouted, following Dante, "Stop treating me like a kid."

"Only when you stop acting like one."

"… Like you're one to talk," Nero grumbled.

Dante grinned at Nero silently, hearing the hushed whisper. They started down the street, Nero still holding his hood low down over his eyes. The two didn't speak; Dante was deciding on who would make a good training partner for the younger slayer in his weapon stash. The only conclusions he could come to were that Alastor would be good to start with—he knew restraint—then Cerberus after the kid had gotten used to the human-like fighting condition he'd be put in. And Nevan… he'd worry about her later.

Dante recalled when he battled the lighting succubus. She was fast and deadly. Her accuracy wasn't the greatest, but her attacks hit a wide range of targets. Dante had been faster than her with his demonic powers, but Nero wouldn't have that advantage when he took her on. Her "kiss of life"… Dante suppressed a shiver. No, he didn't want the kid fighting that kind of power in a weakened state until Dante knew he was ready to face it.

Nero, on the other hand, was less concerned with training partners. He kept trying to spot a store that had the chance of selling sunglasses so he could cover up his aching eyes. After all, if Nero was being forced to train when it was sunny, he didn't want the pain in his eyes to distract him from the battle. Finally, just when he was about to give up and (reluctantly) tell Dante what was wrong with his eyes, he spotted it. With a grin, he tugged on Dante's sleeve, leading his elder into the store.

(*)

The little shop was filled with various things, making it an obvious tourist stop. Dante gave a snort in disbelief. This town was far from a tourist attraction—it was closer to a slum town. Looking around to see if there was anything interesting, he caught Nero in the act of pulling on sunglasses with nearly pitch-black lenses.

"Kid?"

"What?" the youth snapped, sliding on the lenses and pulling down his hood. Dante could hear the young slayer's very audible sigh.

"Something wrong?" Dante asked again, his arms folding over his chest, his weight shifting to one hip.

"No," the boy snapped again, flipping up his hood and sliding the glasses off. He moved to the counter, handing the glasses to the cashier and dug out his wallet.

"Nero—"

"I can't see, I can't fight. The sun'll get in my eyes without them," Nero explained, handing over the cash. Soon, the glasses were returned to his face and he pulled back his hood.

Dante's arms didn't unfold, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. So, something was happening with the kid's eyes. The older slayer thought back to when his inner demon had truly awoken, trying to remember anything that may help the kid. His vision had enhanced, but he couldn't recall it hurting his eyes.

So, maybe one of the lightning demons would be a good choice for a partner. Sure, the light may hurt Nero's eyes, but he needed to adjust to the increased power and sensations that he'd soon be assaulted with.

(*)

The hunting pair stood in the abandoned courtyard where Nero had trained the day before. Rebellion had been replaced today, Dante now carrying Alastor strapped to his back

"I'm fighting him?" Nero asked when he noticed the other sword and grew excited. He'd get his rematch. Dante gave a nod and pulled the sword from his back and hurled it into the air.

Nero watched it tumble, end over end, tip over handle before it exploded in a shock of lightning. The youth howled as the sudden shock of light made his eyes scream in protest.

Dante watched the reaction with interest, going to the youth and placing a hand on his shoulder before clipping the necklace on him.

"He won't hurt you too bad," Dante grinned, "No need to worry."

Nero bared his teeth in a silent hiss, "You think I was worried about him beating me?"

Dante gave a lopsided grin and shrugged, looking up to where Alastor hovered, now full transformed. The demon was a small dragon, not much bigger than his human form. The demon's horns now stretched and curled back around his head to end on either side of his jaw, the pointed ends sticking out angrily, but it didn't seem like the demon really needed hose in place of teeth, his fangs stretching past the confines of his lips. The demon-boys arms were folded over his chest, purple scales and the black marks stretching over his skin, his tail now spiked. Claws formed from his nails, making his arms crossed carefully over his chest to keep form hurting himself.

His large wings beat at the air, the leathery skin slightly a transparent purple, but soft scales rippled over the flash in the light.

Nero saw the wings as a weak point, and a part he'd have to focus on when he fought the demon. It wouldn't be easy because Alastor could fly while Nero could not.

"Ready?" Dante called up to his weapon. Alastor grinned, his teeth flashing, and Dante looked to his companion, clapping his shoulder again.

"Go easy on him. He won't aim to hurt you—he doesn't like confrontation very much."

"Didn't seem like that yesterday," Nero said softly, reaching back to wrap his fingers around the hilt of Red Queen and giving a deft twist. The sword purred in response, nuzzling against his back.

"Call it," the young slayer said, making Dante laugh.

"Oh, I'm betting on the victor?"

Nero scoffed, "I'm going to win and you know it, old man."

"I'm still betting on Alastor," the older slayer said as he started backing away, moving to lean against one of the crumbling walls, folding his arms over his chest, "Go!"

The young hunter scowled at Dante, but his attention was quickly brought back to the demon before him as a whistling echoed in his ears. He looked up to see Alastor swooping towards him, wings tucked into his back tight as he dove like a bullet. Nero's reaction almost took too long and he dove out of the way and was rewarded with the demon's talons racking his shoulder blade where Red Queen left it unprotected.

The youth snarled, quickly standing from his roll and pulled the shimmering blade from his back to see that Alastor had vanished. In confusion, he looked over at Dante, who simply grinned.

Nero got the feeling that the half-demon was enjoying this far too much.

It was then that he heard a faint sound, calling to him from the back of his mind, and it puzzled him a moment.

_Move!_ it commanded, and Nero understood the eagerness behind the voice when he heard the whistling again. Nero twisted, planting his feet and holding Red Queen before him in a block as Alastor made a bee line for him.

Claws collided with the blade, making Nero stumble only slightly, but recovered quickly as the demon snapped at his face. The youth tried to get away, but soon came to realize that the demon was perched on Red Queen, Alastor's tail coiling around Nero's wrist and arm to keep the blade from being tossed aside, while Alastor sat with his legs drawn up on the flat side of the blade, holding on with his hands and toes.

In a panic, Nero tried to summon up the power from his demon side as he evaded the demon's teeth, only to realize that it wouldn't come to his aide. It was with a frustrated growl that Nero brought up his Bringer and slammed it—hard—into the side of Alastor's face. The demon cried out and launched back off the blade, making Nero stumble from the loss off weight, and hovered, clutching his bleeding face.

Well, at least the Bring was will good for something even if his demonic side couldn't be activated. It did have claws after all.

His attention was brought back to Alastor as his eyes screeched in pain at the flashes of light the demon was giving off. Again, Nero looked back over at Dante, only to realize the older hunter was missing. Nero breathed a curse. _Where could that jackass have gone?_

A high pitched whine filled the air and a shock shot up Nero's arm, numbing his senses as Red Queen dropped from his hand. The burning in Nero's arm didn't want to cease and the youth glared at Alastor, who was giving that toothed grin again, lighting sparking over his skin, his tail coiling in delight.

"If you want to play that way…" Nero murmured, reaching for Blue Rose. He couldn't feel with his human hand, but had drawn the gun enough times that he didn't have to look as he lifted his arm. The numbness was starting to run through his shoulder before it began to recede, and the Devil Bringer's claws gripped the side of Blue Rose. The demonic arm started to give a faint blue glow, the barrel of Blue Rose joined in. hastily, the trigger was pulled, the recoil enough to make his numb arm jerk, but the bullet landed, and Alastor jerked as a hole was ripped through his right wing, forcing him to drop from his leisurely float to land painfully on his knees, making his face contort and the grin vanish.

(*)

"How about we even the odds?" Nero grinned as he started forward, holstering Blue Rose. The demon's grin returned as moved to kick Red Queen into his hand, catching it with only a slight amount of shock from his dead arm as it refused to obey properly. Alastor's tail curled close to him, watching as Nero walked closer, the sword resting on his shoulder. The demon wasn't very adept with human-world knowledge, but he knew that electricity plus metal, plus exposed skin, equaled mind numbing—and sometimes—even paralyzing pain. And the young slayer had a few large objects of metal on him. Sparks of electricity started to cover the demon's skin and Nero sniffed.

"Like a Blitz," the hunter grumbled. Alastor got to his feet and hissed at Nero, starting to grow frustrated.

"Dante said you didn't like confrontation much. That liar," Nero sighed, frustrating the demon even more. The young slayer was calm and collected again, taunting Alastor in a very Dante-like manner.

Red eyes glanced over at his wing, and Alastor grinned when he realized the wound he'd received from the bullet had healed.

All at once, the demon shot forward and Red Queen took to the air.

(*)

Alastor's body slammed into Nero's, making the hunter yelp as they both fell back. The demon hissed like a cat when they landed, his back arching his face got close to Nero's and he let out a head splitting screech, leaving the young hunter dazed and confused—and the lightning on the demon's skin hadn't made it any better.

The demon's wings began to beat around Nero's head, whipping up the dirt around them, ruffling Nero's hair, and stinging Nero's eyes. Claws dug in and held tightly to the boy's shoulders, causing blood to stain the shoulders over his jacket.

It was then when Nero realized he wasn't touching the ground anymore. Alastor had lifted the two of them high in the air and wasn't stopping.

Despite his better judgment, Nero glanced down, trying to gauge if he could survive the fall.

That was when he noticed his glasses falling, then the pain shooting through his head. A roar tore from the teen's mouth, seeming to startle Alastor. The demon's claws slipping from Nero's shoulders to hold his headache back peddled quickly.

And the teen was suddenly falling, panic flaring in his chest.

"D-Dante!" The name was torn from his mouth and lost in the air. Nero hadn't quiet realized how fast he was falling until he caught sight of the ground, running up to meet up. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a flash of red—or was that just the effect of the light?—And Alastor flying in a bee line to catch the falling slayer, his arms outstretched.

Nero was really beginning to wish he hadn't asked for a training partner.

**Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuun.**

**I hope you enjoyed this, it's a challenge for me to write fight scenes, so I hope this one was good—it was fun for me to write.**

**Oh noes, Nero can't fly. Gravity doesn't seem to like him too much, ne?**

**Ah. I'm going to bed and leaving y'all with a cliff-hanger.**

**Oh! I'm also considering going this a different name. Should I? Suggestions?**

**Till next time~!**

**Nero:… TT^TT**

**Also, can I get a beta-reader? I kinda need one ^-^;;;; I miss a lot of typos before I get these posted, then notice them when ire ad over them after I get the on FF.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I have this week off, so I plan on updating more.**

**Thanks to everyone who keep reading and have added this story to their alerts! I feel so honored! Thanks for reading.**

_**SirenaLorely**_

**You really are awesome. You keep posting reviews one very chapter! You are amazing!**

**I'm glad you liked the fight scene! It tells me that I can write more in the future and they will be successful!**

**Hopefully I can clear up what's going on with Nero's eyes in this chapter for you~! Thanks for reading!**

_**Meph**_

**No, thank **_**you**_** for reading! *laughs* I'm glad I posted this too, even if it was just a silly little thing I started in class one day.**

**I'm glad you liked that, it was really fun to write about all of Dante's weapons. No, Nero has no idea what he's in for *laughs* You can never know when you're dealing with Dante as to what future holds for you. I'm glad you enjoyed the fight too! I liked writing it, but they're tricky for me. Tells me that I need to play more SSBB (I can't get DMC4 to work on my computer)**

**Let's see if I can clear up whats going on with Nero's eyes here~!**

_**Chocomintk**_

**I'm glad you like my writing style! Hopefully,this is how it'll stay for a long time—if you look back at my first Devil May Cry fic, it has really shifted in my opinion.**

***laughs* I plan to have something happen here, specifically with Doppleganger, just cause I like him and he's a BAWS *laughs***

**I'm glad you liked my fight scene too! I'm honored that you think I'm good at them as well! Arigato~!**

***laughs* I think watching Dante eat one would cause you to beg to differ, especially if he eats it at the speed he does pizza (referring to the anime, episode 6? Called Not Love)**

**Thanks for reviewing, guys! Thanks to the people who watch this story, and thanks to those who keep reading, of course! If you think I'm good, you should check out Pushka, Bitbybooth, Lotus Butterfly, and Alvara19. They write amazing Dante/Nero fictions. Alvara has a lot of good plots, Pushka's writing is BEAUTIFUL, Bitbybooth keeps the boys very much in character (Tick Tock is my favorite that they've got written), and Lotus Butterfly is too Godly to express in words (Tapestry of Decay was so freaky, but I **loved it so much. The descriptions….) Check them out guys. They're amazing!

Anyway, onto another installment!

_And the teen was suddenly falling, panic flaring in his chest._

_"D-Dante!" The name was torn from his mouth and lost in the air. Nero hadn't quiet realized how fast he was falling until he caught sight of the ground, running up to meet up. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a flash of red—or was that just the effect of the light?—And Alastor flying in a bee line to catch the falling slayer, his arms outstretched._

_Nero was really beginning to wish he hadn't asked for a training partner._

Somehow, while twisting through the air, Nero managed to roll to at least cover his head, and then realized the necklace he still wore. He reached up and snapped it off with a deft tug from his Devil Bringer and held it out in the glowing blue palm. He'd been expecting it to get ripped away and fall slower, but it hovered above his hand, making the youth snarl as the red gems glittered in the light as if laughing at him.

He felt hands grasp his shoulders, making him yelp as claws dug into his skin and looked up at Alastor, who was clinging to his coat as if the demonic-sword was the one at risk of dying, his wings backpedaling quickly.

Nero reached up latching his hands on Alastor's forearms and held on tight, practically feeling his bones shatter. But the hard impact never came.

Alastor's claws were jerked from his shoulders tightly and he felt a soft body hold him close as he entered a dizzying spin, making his eyes shut tightly. He was assaulted by a few different smells which made him realized that Dante had caught him, the fact made even more obvious by the clunk of heavy boots on the ground, and the leather pressed harshly to the kid's cheek.

When all the movement stopped, Nero reached up with a shaky hand to pull his hood over his face, which was pulled back off by Dante.

"Nero?"

"Fuck off," Nero grumbled the first thing that came to mind, feeling slightly nauseous from the fall. His hands moved to push Dante's chest away so he could stand, but the elder held fast.

(*)

Alastor's wings ruffled and folded as he landed, quickly moving to join his Master and Nero. He hadn't hurt his new friend had he?

"M-master…" he started softly, but Dante shot a glare over his shoulder making the demon silence quickly. Alastor was very confused, but didn't say anything, moving to sit in front of his Master, watching Nero struggle weakly in the older demon's grip. The boy seemed fine, so why did Dante seem so upset?

(*)

The trio returned to Devil May Cry shortly after the mishap in the training lesson. And, while Nero kept assuring Dante he was fine, the elder demon insisted that they take care of the minimal wounds that Nero had.

So, the kid was sitting up on Dante's desk, shirtless, and grumbling as the slayer was wrapping Alastor's claw marks deep in Nero's shoulders.

"Old man, I'm fine, really," Nero was insisting as Dante wiped the blood from Nero's pale shoulder blades, "It'll heal soon anyway."

"Remember what I told you after the Archane fight? There's a chance you could get infected," Dante said, his hands working with gentleness that didn't exist in his profession, "Now, stop bitching and let me do this."

"You didn't wrap my wounds after the fight with the Archane, why should Alastor's be any different? It doesn't even hurt," Nero pointed out.

"You're burned too," Dante reminded him, "And that doesn't go away quickly. Trust me, I know that enough times from Trish attacking me."

Truth e told, he hadn't even realized that Dante had done nothing for Nero's sounds yesterday—and they'd healed while the kid was showering. Or so he'd thought.

There were light scars over Nero's skin, making him seem even paler. However, those scars were contrasted by the buns from Alastor, leaving dark brown patches on his skin.

Dante suppressed a growl at the thought. His demon side was taking a turn for the worse, starting to see Nero as _his_, which did not bode well for the boy, or Alastor for that matter.

The slayer moved to put salve on the wounds and Nero hissed, swatting Dante's hands away.

"Damnit, that cold," Nero growled, "Do you have to put that on?"

"Listen, kid," Dante said, holding his arms over his chest, making sure not to touch himself with the gel, "I'm trying to _help_ you, remember? After this, I'll take a look at your arm."

Nero growled lowly, but gave in, letting Dante continue his work.

The shades were all drawn in the shop, sparing Nero's eyes for the most part, but Dante could tell the kid was uncomfortable by the way he'd squirm on the desk every now and then. Or maybe it was because Dante was so close. The slayer really couldn't tell.

Soon, the burns were wrapped and Nero moved to hop off the desk, that is until Dante grabbed the Devil Bringer.

The boy let out a strangled cry, pushing away Dante's hand.

"Let go!"

"I've got to see what's wrong with it," Dante said, holding Nero still on the desk, "Just relax."

When the young hunter stopped squirming, Dante got a better look at the inflamed skin.

The human flesh was bright pink and starting to buckle under the red armor from his demonic skin. A bit of blood dribbled from this wound and Nero grunted softly, moving to cup the injury with his human hand, but Dante stopped him, holding onto his hand tightly.

"Don't touch it," the elder hunter said, watching as the blood dipped into the blue of the armor and was absorbed. Well, that explained why Dante didn't smell anything, "How does it feel?"

"Like my arm is being ripped off," Nero grumbled, trying to pull his hand away when Dante started to rub his thumb over the back of the kid's hand.

"And?"

"And it burns," Nero said, still trying to pull his arm away to no avail, "Dante. Let go."

The slayer let go of Nero's hand and stepped back, looking at his medical supplies that seemed to have barfed all over his desk.

"What about your eyes?" Dante asked, picking up a jar then set it back down. What would help with that kind of pain?

"…" Nero didn't respond at first, "they hurt. In the light. Only if there's light."

Slowly, Dante nodded. Maybe there was more to this than he thought at first? The elder slayer hummed softly as he began to spread the same salve on Nero's shoulder. The boy hissed at the contact and Dante caught sight of those blue eyes flashing red at the contact.

"Calm down," the elder said, "Don't Trigger on me."

Nero snarled and turned his head away, wincing at the coolness of the medication on his otherwise burning skin.

"What else is there?" Dante asked, "There has to be more."

"My arm burns and the bright light hurts," Nero said.

"You've become very sensitive to touch and light," Dante noted, and the boy shrugged.

"I guess."

"Well," Dante started as he finished spreading the medication over the front, top, and back of this companion's demonic arm, "We'll have to figure out how to deal with that. The light is easy enough—we'll just get you some goggles or something. Your arm though…"

Nero said nothing, going to slide his shirt on, but Dante stopped him.

"Hold on," the elder said, "Let that dry. You got a tanktop or something?"

Without a word, Nero pushed off the desk and moved to find his bag that he'd tucked next to the couch.

The elder slayer moved to clean off his desk, sweeping all his medical supplies into a drawer, grinning when he didn't hear any glass shatter, then dropped to sit in his chair, throwing his legs up on the desk.

His inner demon was still snarling, pacing like a caged animal and making Dante uneasy. Ever since he'd been the kid—twice—back in Fortuna, he'd felt that dominance over the younger slayer, along with the need to show Nero who was the alpha dog.

Dante released quiet groan and crushed his fists against his eyes in an act frustration, but covered it with a yawn. As much as he'd wanted to, he decided that it wouldn't be in the best interest if he watched Nero redress. With the unease his demonic side had put on his shoulders, God knew what he'd do.

(*)

"I'm going to bed," Dante said suddenly as he got up, startling Nero as he tugged the sleeveless shirt down and ruffled his hair.

"… Already, old man? It's not even dark."

"Saving your sorry ass makes the day tough," Dante said, heading for the rustic stairs.

"Hey, Alastor saved me," Nero said, "If he hadn't caught me, I would have—"

The youth stopped when he caught the look in Dante's eyes. The blue had fully inverted to a dark red and a chill shot through Nero's spine.

"I'm going to bed," Dante said again, finishing his trek up the stairs and slamming the door behind him.

At that sound, Nero's body sank and he fell to sit on the couch. There was something in that look. Something dangerous.

Something calling to Nero. Something his demon side picked up on before he did.

(*)

To say that Nero was tortured by his dreams was an overstatement and an understatement. He was tortured, that much was true, but by visions of the elder slayer, all of which drove Nero mad. Often, he'd be chasing after Dante in the middle of day down the streets of what looked like Fortuna, only catching glances of the elder's red coattails as he turned the corner. And just as soon as Nero could grab the leather, the vision was gone and the boy was standing in a home.

_It was empty(save for the bloodstains on the walls) and silent, and seemed very lonely. He'd call for Dante, but receive no answer and would begin to walk. Every now and then, he'd catch glimpses of the elder man, who was running through the halls, but Nero saw these as the holograms they were._

_Suddenly, he was knocked forward into a room where he stumbled through the doorway. He landed on his face, then everything seemed to grow to a larger size._

_His body was lifted suddenly, and he was rolled over to face Dante, who stared in shock._

"…_No…"_

Then, that dream was gone and Nero found himself staring up at the ceiling of the shop. The boy gave a groan, moving to cover his eyes with his human arm.

If it went on like this, it was going to be a very long night.

It was then that he caught a small blip of movement from under his arm. At first, he thought it was just the shadows playing tricks on him and dismissed it.

Then he saw the flash of red and sat up slowly.

"… Dante?"

Nero's eyes caught the gleam of white teeth in the dark and the two pinpricks of red for eyes.

"… Doppelganger…." He breathed, suddenly feeling more startled than he should have. Why should seeing the dark copy worry him? Was Nero really so infatuated with Dante that his clone was taking a roll in Nero's dreams?

_God, I hope not_, Nero thought absently. But, he still had yet to figure out why he was having dreams about Dante in the first place.

"What do you want?" Nero snapped, opting for seeming pissed off instead of confused. He thought only Dante could release this clone. Maybe he was wrong.

Doppelganger grinned and moved to slid on Nero's bed, making the youth growl. What was he doing?

The imitation's grin grew louder and he tugged on Nero's ankle, causing the boy to yelp as he slid to lie down again.

"G-Get off!" Nero growled out; feeling his heart throb uncomfortably, heat spreading through his body. The dark Dante simply grinned, one hand shooting out to hold the Devil Bringer down tight, the other catching the human hand, as one of his knees found its way between Nero's legs, pressing into the boy's groin gently.

Nero bit down hard on his lip, glaring at Doppelganger, who remained grinning. Nero soon started to snarl and thrash under the clone, snapping his jaws dangerously close to the imitation's face.

"I swear to God, if you don't get off me, I will—" Nero's threat never finished as the clone growled and swiftly kissed the young boy under him, his grip on Nero's wrists growing painfully.

The young slayer gave a soft cry, bucking to try and throw off Doppel, but suppressed a groan, forgetting for a moment where the demon's knee rested.

Then Nero remembered that he was still dreaming, wasn't he? So why was he fighting the clone again? No, he didn't want to submit to Dante, be it dream or real life. But, this wasn't really Dante; it just _looked _like him, didn't it?

Nero's tense body relaxed and he eased into the kiss, blushing a bit when Doppelganger's tongue pushed into his mouth.

Might as well see where this dream took him, right?

(*)

Dante woke only when he felt his demonic energy seeping from him. He thought he'd Triggered in the midst of a nightmare, but he couldn't recall dreaming.

The hunter groaned and rolled onto his back, one eye sliding open to catch a glimpse of Nero.

Dante jerked up quickly, blinking. Well. That got him awake. But why did he see Nero? Never before had he thought he'd seen things look so vivid.

Dante slapped a hand to his forehead.

"Doppelganger," the hunter growled, moving to get up when a scent hit him, a taste filling his mouth, making him realize just what the clone was doing, "… You've gotta be kidding me."

That stupid shadow was sucking off the kid.

So, it was with the utmost hesitation that Dante snapped his fingers, calling the Doppelganger back to his control. He felt the rush as it returned and saw the shadow under his feet glare at him with red eyes.

"More trouble than you're worth," Dante growled at it.

The slayer decided that it would be best to keep his demonic impulses under his control, lest Doppelganger act for him again.

**Well. This chapter feels like it was really crappy—especially in the beginning, so I tried to make it kinda long. Any who, here's a short to make up for it.**

_**It was a normal day in the Devil May Cry. Well, as normal as it could get.**_

_**Nero was amusing himself by playing pool while Dante was shining Ebony and Ivory, eyeing the gun as he waited for it to ring.**_

"_**Hey, Dante," Nero said suddenly.**_

"_**Eh?"**_

"_**You said your weapons talk to you—Like Lucifer and Ifrit."**_

"_**Yeah," Dante said looking up now, "Why ya ask?"**_

"_**I'm starting to think your schizophrenic. I can't hear them," Nero said, leaning on his pool stick.**_

"_**They just don't talk to you," Dante explained.**_

"_**Yeah?"**_

"_**Yeah," Dante grinned then, "I talk to Red Queen too. She tells me that you should treat her a bit better."**_

_**The youth blinked at Dante as if he'd gone mad, then slowly turned to look at his blade, who stood silently in the corner.**_

"_**And Blue Rose says you should let me modify her," Dante grinned.**_

"_**Now, I know you're full of crap," Nero growled, turning to the pool table.**_

_**Now, where was he?**_

**My friend and I came up with that a few days ago along with some others.**

**Seriously, doesn't Dante seem like the type to be schizophrenic? Seriously.**

**Thanks for reading. Sorry if it's an uber crappy chapter. I hope my short makes up for it~! I plan to do better in the next one.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Life Sucks. That is all.**

**They all feel so OOC here 3**

_**SirenaLorely**_

**Urgh. Typos. I hate them so. I feel bad that I missed them. Yeah, Nero was rather positive it was a dream so he just went with it. (Plus, its Dante. Everyone is a whore for Dante.)**

_**Ryuutaouchan**_

***laughs* It was more of Dante thinking "That ass. I wanted to do that. You don't get to finish either. Take that you hoe!" Yeah. Like that O3o**

**Sorry for the delay. As I said, life sucks and it attacked me. Plus, I had no idea what to do after I ended that chapter. 3 It took quite a while to come up with this one.**

The air was too thick, the ground was too soft. The water rushing by his ankles—no, that couldn't be water, not clean at least. It looked like a river of souls, and one could almost see agonized faces flowing passed.

"No one can have this, Dante. Its mine. It belongs to a son of Sparda."

Ah, he knew this scene well. It had haunted Dante since the day it happened. The young half demon turned, dashing for his brother, only to have the cold steel of Yamato pressed against his neck, as unfeeling as those blue eyes that simply stared.

"Leave me and go, if you don't want to be trapped in the demon world. I'm staying here," Vergil said. Dante felt himself tense. This was his brother—his twin!—saying he was going to die, going to abandon his younger twin again. But this time, Dante didn't think his big brother would come back. Not again.

"This was our father's home…." Vergil said almost dreamily. Dante watched in horror as his elder twin took a step back off the small outcrop he was standing on. It took a moment, but Dante's body lurched forward, a hand reaching to grab his twin, feeling only the burn of cold steel race across this palm as Vergil's arms stretched out at his sides, as if he were asking for something. Dante had always thought it was for him to join his elder twin in the descent.

(*)

Dante jerked awake, his heart hammering. _That_ dream. He'd had it again. It had been some time since Dante had relived that event in a nightmare, so why now? Why? Was it because Nero was here? Because he was worried about the kid?

The hunter sat up in his bed, his skin clammy and damp, making him grimace. Blue eyes wandered around the room, just checking to be sure it was a dream. The dresser was still pulled open, contents spilling out and clothes littering the floor. Those blue eyes wandered up to the window, watching the curtains dance in the breeze from the open window.

The half-demon ran a hand through his silver hair, then glanced at his palm. Although it had long since healed, the pink scar gleamed brightly against his tan skin. Absently, Dante's fingers ran over the mark before his fist clenched tightly.

No more regrets, he told himself, no more. He was going to help Nero, he wasn't going to let lust consume the kid, no his lust for power or his demonic side consuming him. The hunter was determined to not fail in helping another person. It was his mother first, then Vergil three times, and he'd nearly lost Trish.

He was not going to let Nero slip from his grasp.

A faint purr rumbled in the back of his mind at the thought.

(*)

It was well afternoon before Dante wandered downstairs, partially because he was growing hungry, but also because he didn't know how in God's name he'd explain to Nero what happened last night. The hunter had come to the conclusion that he could only hope that the kid didn't remember Doppelganger trying to molest him last night.

Even Dante didn't believe that was a possibility.

However, he was drawn out of that when he caught a sweet scent filling the air of the otherwise musty office. When he reached the landing by the stairs near his room, he stopped. And stared.

The shop was free of pizza boxes and crushed beer cans; even the drum set was gleaming in the dimly lit office. His usually messy desk was organized, Dante's forgotten cleaning supplies standing ordered on the wood. Slowly, the hunter made his way downstairs, too startled by the state off his office to realize Nero stepped out of the kitchen.

"Could you sleep any longer, old man?" the youth said, folding his arms over his chest, "I got bored waiting for you."

"… You cleaned the shop," Dante said, half questioning, half making a statement.

"Yeah, I cleaned. Nothing else to do. Your TVs busted and I don't know where anything is around here," he replied with a shrug, going back into the kitchen.

"… Are you… _cooking_?" Dante asked, following after the younger slayer.

"So what if I am?" Nero snapped, going to stand in front of the stove, giving his nose a swipe, "I figure that I owe you for letting me stay."

A grin slowly took Dante's face as he read the tell-tale signs of Nero blushing and moved to sit at the table that he didn't quite recall having.

"Yeah, ya do," the elder said, kicking his feet up and tipping his chair back, "So. What are you making?"

"You had nothing here, so I made Alastor go out for me," Nero explained and turned to face Dante, but quickly looked away.

But not fast enough for Dante to miss the action. However, he said nothing.

"Alastor went out? Hard to believe," Dante said, closing his eyes, the vision of Nero in his dark pajama pants and red hoodie burned into the back of his eyelids.

"I asked nicely," Nero said, "And, he told me he felt bad about yesterday and wanted to make it up to me."

"So, you sent him shopping."

"What's wrong with that? He actually wanted to go, old man."

Dante snorted at that. Alastor didn't like going out alone much.

"Right," the older slayer hummed, dropping his feet to the floor and opening his eyes, "I've got some missions to catch up on today—"

"I'll help," Nero said quickly, and Dante frowned.

"… I'm not so sure kid. We still haven't gotten in enough training with your arm—"

"What are you, my mother?" Nero grumbled, turning to face his new roommate, "I'm going. That's it."

"Kid—"

"Stop calling me that," the boy growled, "Here I am, trying to do something _nice_ for you, god forbid you're actually nice to me."

"Now, wait a minute—"

"Its fine," Nero said, brushing it off, "Don't worry about it. I mean, why should it matter how you treat me?"

The boy's voice faded, which left Dante thoroughly confused.

"Er, kid? Is there something you aren't telling me?"

"No," Nero said simply and Dante gave in inward sigh. Really, why should he have been expecting a straightforward answer?

Still, Dante pushed himself up.

"Fine, you can come. But we'll have to be careful. If it gets too intense—"

"Please," Nero said, his arms folding over his chest, "You worried about me, old man."

"Of course," Dante said earnestly, but caught himself, "I don't want to end up carrying your punk ass back to the shop."

"Tch. Figures," Nero snorted, "As lazy as you, I'm surprised you're even a demon hunter."

"I live for the thrill," Dante grinned, "A white-collar job isn't the life for me."

"One would guess otherwise," Nero snorted, turning back to the stove. Dante watched Nero cooked only God knew what, his eyes wandering over the youth's body. His eyes eventually settled on ass of those pajama pants, and Dante half-wished Nero wasn't wearing that stupid hoodie, so he could see just how far down the pajamas were hanging. The daydream of Nero flashed into his mind again, flush and pale, begging for Dante.

The phone rang then, and the hunter gave a sigh. Of all the times for it to ring, it had answered his silent prayers for once.

Dante walked from the kitchen, humming softly, slamming his phone on the desk when he got there, and catching the phone in his open palm as gravity brought it back down.

"Devil May Cry."

The elder listened to the frantic voice give him the password, then go in on detail about a demon haunting the subway system.

"All right. We'll be there soon," he said after scribbling the address and hanging the phone up.

"Hey, kid, stick that in a doggie bag. We gotta run," Dante called, moving to go back up to his room.

"What? A job?" Nero asked, stepping from the kitchen.

"Sounds like a nest," Dante said nonchalantly, moving up the creaky stairs, "A couple towns away. Demons in the subway."

The youth gave an eager nod, grinning, "Got it."

(*)

Nero's enthusiasm, however, was gone as soon as he realized just how they were getting to what would be his first mission with Dante.

The youth was sitting on the back of Dante's bike, his hands clenching the seat beneath him as he scowled at the red back in front of him, and that white mop of hair.

He was riding bitch on Dante's bike. And oh, how he loathed it. And he didn't fail to let Dante know in every which way, be it grumbling discontentedly or purposefully shifting his weight to make Dante swerve.

"If I didn't know better, kid," Dante called over the sound of the wind, "I'd say you wanted us to crash!"

Nero behaved himself after that—he really did—despite wanted to beat Dante's head to a bloody pulp.

(*)

The town ended up not being as far off as Dante claimed it would be and soon the pair were standing by a subway entrance, the gate closed with heavy fencing and roped with caution tape.

Dante hummed softly, "well, my darling little Nero, my little partner, who is so much smaller than I am—"

"No. I am not going to fit through the bars," the youth growled, folding his arms over his chest, "I can shove your fat ass through though, if that would help."

Dante pouted, "You wound me!"

Nero snorted, watching as Dante unsheathed Rebellion and pulled Cerebus out from under his jacket, before his eyes wandered the streets.

Despite this city having towering buildings and crowded streets, where the pair of hunters were was devoid of life, making Nero's spine crawl.

"Hey, Dante?" Nero started, then heard clattering and turned to see as Dante landed his axe kick, a gaping hole in the frozen ice on the gate.

"We're in!" Dante said triumphantly as he sheathed Rebellion and tucked away Cerebus. He started through the hole, then finally glanced back at Nero.

"You coming, or what, kid?"

Nero growled lowly, "You sure you know what you're doing?"

"Positive! Nothing can go wrong!"

**LIFE GOT BETTER.**

**Sorry for the OOC-ness,a s stated before. I wrote this chapter over a duration of three days, all at different times while feeling different emotions, so they shift as I do. Sorry. I only hope this chapter came out good.**

**Its shorter than the others, but that's because I want to get out the exciting news that I'm getting tested to get my license 3/22, tomorrow! So, if all goes well, you'll get another chapter.**

**However, since I know what I want to do for the next one, I'll start on it sooner rather than later.**

**While the Nero is rather dense to Dante's reactions, I know just how to get them closer in the next one!**

**Oh, one more thing, I hope you enjoyed the opening! It was my favorite part to write! I think I am starting to like Dante/Vergil. Call me crazy, but my other fics imply it in a way.**

**Anyway, until next time! The boys will get into far greater trouble then!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I did it. I am now a licensed driver. And I almost hit a woman who pulled out in front of me when I came home after school. Like…. The day after I got my license. It's been three weeks now. Guys, pleas bug me to write. =w=**

_**Silent33**_

**Thank you!**

**Ah, yes. Whenever Dante says something like that, troubles bound to come!**

_**SirenaLorely**_**  
Ah, no worries about it being more of a comment! I like to read them!**

**Dante is lucky Nero didn't castrate him for what he did *laughs***

**I do like some with Vergil, but it's hard to find good ones 3 I've tried, it isn't easy.**

_**Blaid**_

**Thanks, but I don't like using other peoples OCs so much….**

_**Kookiemeow**_

**He probably fell bask asleep. He was only half-awake after all –laughs-**

_**Wolfie231**_

**Here's an update now =w=**

**Well, faithful readers, here's a new chapter!**

Dante was a liar. Why did Nero listen to him again? Why did he believe _any_ the elder man told him?

Oh, right. He trusted the egotistical bastard. But why would he trust Dante? He was still trying to decide on that one.

"Hey, kid! Pay attention!" Dante snapped and Nero stumbled from his thoughts, nearly tripping over his own feet in the dark of the subway. It felt like they were running for their lives from nothing more than a pack of what resembled Hellhounds, but Dante continued to assure that they were just teasing the demons. He said it was fun.

And Nero was certain that Dante was all kinds of demented. He was positive, actually. Nero was really very positive. And he wouldn't've been surprised if it ran in Dante's family.

Nero turned as he ran to fire off a couple rounds, the light from Blue Rose firing illuminating the area a few brief seconds. These hounds had longer limbs than the Hellhounds he was used to, with longer ears. Fangs hung low and painfully sharp, with what Nero guess was acid lolling from their tongues (Judging by the way the concrete sizzled). In place of paws, they had deformed human hands and long claws, striking up sparks on the pavement.

"Keep up, kid! I don't want to be disinfecting any wounds you'll get!" Dante laughed, confirming Nero's suspicions of dementia. The freak was _laughing_ about this!

"Like you're one to talk! I don't want to carry your fat ass back to the shop!"

The freak simply gave another laugh and turned suddenly, his guns drawn. Nero skidded to a stop, watching in awe as Dante began to pull the triggers to Ebony and Ivory quickly, hopping backwards. For a moment, Nero could only stare and nothing more.

Somehow, the brick of a hunter looked majestic, his coat tails catching on his legs, but posing no hindrance to his retreat. Nero couldn't really figure out how it was done—how Dante did it. The young hunter took a moment to study this, watching Dante hop on the balls of his feet.

"Hey, kid!" the red hunter said, calling Nero from his study session. He realized that a hound had gotten too close for comfort and drew Blue Rose, firing quickly. Unlike Hellhounds, these had soft fleshy bodies, and died fairly quickly with a well-placed shot.

"Stop staring and pay attention!" Dante ordered, causing Nero to grumble.

"Well?" Nero called, firing at the dogs, "What do we do now?"

"What we do best," Dante grinned, stopping his retreat. The hounds paused in confusion for a split second, the surged forward. Dante charged forward as well, his twin pistols finding their homes as Rebellion was pulled from his back. The dogs didn't stop or falter and it soon became a one-sided massacre.

Nero could only stare as Dante danced between the hordes, swinging his blade, then switching to his guns and back again. Something about watching this made the youth's heart thrum. The elder hunter moved with such grace, it was hard for him not to watch. True, Nero had fought Dante before, but had never really _watched_ the slayer. And it left Nero in awe.

"Nero!"

Another call brought him back to reality, and he caught sight of one of the beasts running for him. His gun was drawn quickly and he fired, but the hound launched into the air, causing Nero to lose sight of it in the dark subway.

The Devil Bringer pulsed a bright blue, and he knew it wasn't gone. He knew it was still around.

Nero backed up slowly, moving to the wall, switching out Blue Rose for Red Queen, holding the handle of his blade tight before giving a deft twist, revving the motor, the purring of its engine filling the subway.

Wait, that wasn't right. Wasn't Dante still fighting those hounds?

Blue eyes quickly searched, but he found himself alone in the dark, the only light coming from his bringer, and Red Queen's hot blade.

That was when he heard movement.

"Dante? Dante, is that you?" Nero called, cautiously taking a step forward.

(*)

The man in red finished off the demons rather quickly and was rather pleased it didn't take so long, but disappointed all the same.

"See, kid? This is why we…." The demon hunter started as he turned, but dropped the sentence. _Where the hell was Nero?_

"Hey, Nero!"

Dante, despite himself, began to panic. Here he was, supposed to be protecting the kid, but he was gone. He cursed himself, starting off down the subway tunnels, beginning to fear the worst.

There was a sudden flash of blue and that aura that belonged to Nero, but wasn't his at the same time washed over him and he quickly followed it.

(*)

Nero had Triggered without meaning to.

And soon found that it brought him pain along with the surge of energy.

The hound was drawing closer as Nero sank to his knees, his body slowly freezing up from the pain. The creature gave a bark of a laugh, rising onto its hind legs as it moved to stand over Nero.

The youth felt something drip onto his skin, but didn't feel it. His body curled and he held his head, pain shooting though his right arm, swamping the right side of his body.

"Nero!"

He caught Dante's voice as the pain surged and flooded out his thoughts.

(*)

Dante heard it. He heard Nero's scream.

He had just set foot in the room when Nero's aura surged again as he cried out. The demon over him gave a yowling cry before it completely disintegrated, leaving Nero hunched over, clutching at his head.

"Nero!"

The youth gave another cry and the area surged again before his body slumped where he sat.

It appeared that Nero's transformation was happening far faster than Dante had originally thought.

(*)

The ride back to Devil May Cry was short, Dante speeding a good deal of the way. He was worried about Nero. He liked the kid, damn it, and he refused to let him get hurt.

Dante paused only long enough to stand his bike and turn it off before gathering Nero into his arms and heading for the shop's doors. He kicked them open quickly, having left them unlocked incase one of the girls had decided to swing by, and carried Nero in bridal-style.

He set the youth on the couch, and then went about removing the clothes from Nero's body, where he could see the acid eating through the hoodie. The youth stirred slightly at this intrusion of privacy, but didn't wake, which alarmed Dante, and he soon was looking over Nero's pale chest.

Acid was starting to eat through his skin, leaving flash exposed in various spots, and the bone in others.

"I told you I didn't want to disinfect your wounds," Dante said weakly, trying to make the best out of the situation, but it was difficult with Nero still unconscious. He moved to get his medical supplies from his desk, when he caught sight of the Devil Bringer.

The human skin of Nero's shoulder that had been pink with irritation only the day before was covered with blue and red scales. Then, Dante saw blue scaled tendons from the bringer stretching up Nero's neck, digging under the skin, leaving blood to pulse out from those wounds.

"…. We gotta figure out a way to stop that," he murmured, wincing as one of the tendons moved, the blue visible under a thin layer of skin.

The hunter removed his coat and gloves as he pulled out his supplies. He only hoped Nero wouldn't kill him when he woke up. But he more prayed that the youth was still the same punk kid.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before Dante had all of Nero's wounds cleaned and covered up. The bandages gleamed white against Nero's pale skin, making Dante think that he should take Nero to the beach sometime soon to get some color into his skin.

While these thoughts tumbled through his head, another entered. Where would Nero sleep? Dante didn't want the beat up kid on his couch.

The hunter smiled and prayed that Nero wasn't an early riser before he picked up the kid and started to carry him upstairs.

(*)

Nero was greeted with a throbbing head when he awoke next. He was thankful, however, that the bed was warm and the room was dark.

The young hunter rolled over quickly, pressing face into the pillow, trying to stifle the pain at least a little.

_This is Dante's scent…_ he thought absently, sniffing the pillow. Strawberries. _Figures_. But why did it smell so strongly of Dante?  
Nero turned his head and found himself staring at a wall. Well. That didn't seem right. Hesitantly, he turned his head the other way, and found himself staring at Dante's sleeping face.

Nero blinked. The hunter looked peaceful, and almost angelic, his hair around him messily, forming a shaggy halo.

The youth forgot to be angry with sharing Dante's bed, to watch the elder slayer sleep. He wasn't sure what compelled him but he leaned for Dante, brushing his lips against the hunter's gently before giving him a quick kiss and pulling back, blushing.

The youth quickly tried to dart from the bed after that, but an arm latched around his waist and Dante pulled him back to lie down.

Nero panicked, thinking he'd woken up the elder, but calmed when he heard a grumbled snore.

He wasn't sure how, but he had a feeling that urge was Dante's fault. A rumbling purr in the back of his mind said otherwise, however.

Nero settled with the resolve of kicking Dante's ass twice as hard later as he drifted back into the welcoming darkness sleep had presented him.

**Another chapter I hate. I really do. It feels terribly crappy to me (probably because I forced myself to write it).**

**Nero's Devil Trigger activated itself? It's growing again? Dante snores in his sleep? TBC**

**I NEED A BETA READER. Someone. Please?-sobbu-**


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